Jenny McCarthy's onetime rental house for sale

Southwest Side native has 'moved to a different style of home'

June 19, 2014|By Bob Goldsborough, Special to the Tribune

A five-bedroom, 6,700-square-foot ranch home on 2.5 acres near downtown Geneva that actress, model and comedian Jenny McCarthy had rented for the past few years is on the market for $2.28 million. (Donna Svennevik / Getty Images)

A five-bedroom, 6,700-square-foot ranch home on 2.5 acres near downtown Geneva that actress, model and comedian Jenny McCarthy had rented for the past few years is on the market for $2.28 million.

The house, built in 1975, has 5 1/2 baths, a walkout basement, wide plank antique floors, inlay parquet floors, three fireplaces, stone hearths, custom millwork and walls of windows. McCarthy had rented it for $6,900 a month, according to listing information.

McCarthy, 41, recently announced her engagement to actor and 1990s boy-bander Donnie Wahlberg. McCarthy, a Southwest Side native, moved back to the Chicago area in 2012.

She chose Geneva to live near several close friends and also to be in an environment where her young son would have friends, she has said in interviews. She and her son also were spending weekends in a Fulton River District penthouse apartment.

McCarthy was tapped in July for a permanent role on ABC's "The View," which is based in New York.

Despite McCarthy's increased presence in New York and her engagement, she continues to reside at least part time in Geneva, according to a publicist, who told Elite Street that McCarthy recently "moved to a different style of home."

Former Senate candidate cuts asking price:Noted trial attorney and 1992 U.S. Senate candidate Al Hofeld has slashed the asking price of his 11,000-square-foot, French Regency-style mansion in Winnetka to $7.9 million from $9.4 million.

Hofeld's eight-bedroom mansion, built in 1964, has 11 baths, high ceilings, detailed moldings, a three-room master suite, an indoor basketball court and a four-car garage. On the 1.45-acre property is a tennis court, and a new pool with a spa and cabanas.

Hofeld, a personal injury attorney who also was unsuccessful in his 1994 bid for Illinois attorney general, bought the mansion in 1989 for $2.6 million.

"Al's a smart guy, and he didn't sell at that price, so he's made (the mansion) more enticing by reducing it to $7.9 million," his listing agent, Blanche Romey, told Elite Street.

Juwan Howard cuts asking price in Trump Tower: Retired NBA player and Miami Heat assistant coach Juwan Howard on Tuesday reduced the asking price for his 3,080-square-foot unit in Trump Tower in the River North neighborhood by almost $300,000 after sticking with the same asking price for more than 18 months.

Howard, a Chicago native, first listed the unit in November 2012 for $2.9 million, then quickly boosted the price to a little less than $3.3 million. On Tuesday, he cut the price to just under $3 million.

NBC 5 GM buys in Trump Tower:David Doebler, NBC 5 president and general manager, has paid $2.84 million for a three-bedroom, 3,102-square-foot condominium on the 77th floor of Trump Tower.

Doebler joined WMAQ-Ch. 5 in the spring last year from an NBC-owned TV station in Hartford, Conn., where he had been president and general manager. He replaced Larry Wert, who left NBC 5 to oversee Tribune Co.'s local broadcasting.

The unit, bought last month, has four baths, a large master suite with double walk-in closets, and a large kitchen with an attached den, Snaidero cabinets and appliances from Sub-Zero, Viking, Wolf and Miele.

Doebler declined to comment on the purchase.

Grant DePorter lists Winnetka mansion:Restaurateur Grant DePorter, president and managing partner of Harry Caray's Restaurant Group, in May listed his five-bedroom, contemporary-style house adjoining a small lake and a forest preserve in Winnetka for $3.2 million.

"It's very cool to have the ability to be private and pastoral, and then all the benefits of being in Winnetka and Winnetka schools," said listing agent Paige Dooley of The Hudson Co.

The house, built in 2006 and designed by architect Doug Ross, has 6 1/2 baths, and wildlife vistas from every room. On the half-acre lot are a guesthouse and an endless pool.